


Tribulation

by Arznovah



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Agni Kai, Angst, Ozai was a terrible fucking person, Parenthood, zuko doesn’t need this in his life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:09:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22063804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arznovah/pseuds/Arznovah
Summary: Zuko has a nightmare where he takes the place of his father and orders Izumi to face him in a duel
Relationships: Zuko and Izumi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 72





	Tribulation

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This was the first fanfic I ever wrote, and I decided to post it for shits n giggles. I got the idea for this from a prompt I saw on tumblr a couple years ago, and yeah that’s about it. Any constructive criticism is welcome, and I hope y’all enjoy!

At first glance, all he saw was red. As Zuko squinted his eyes, the image in front of him cleared, and he found himself standing in the middle of an open arena. The square tiles beneath him were carefully placed, leaving small cracks that radiated heat through the floor into his feet. The sky above him was brassy and cloudless, signaling to him that it was almost night. Although the entire arena was scorching due to many torches hung around, Zuko felt a cold breeze coming from the stands, causing him to shudder. He tilted his head, and found that nearly every seat in the stadium was occupied by a cheering fire nation citizen. Putting two and two together, the young firelord concluded that he was about to engage in an Agni Kai. 

Unable to remember why he was fighting in the first place, he shook his head and shed his outer layers. Without the royal robes, the only thing signaling his rank was the crown resting on his topknot. Zuko quietly laughed at the irony of the situation. Agni Kai’s are duels for someone's honor. But he figured that wasn’t a problem anymore. A loud gong chimed, signaling the start of the match. Getting into his stance, Zuko quickly turned himself around to face his opponent. His eyebrows furrowed when he saw his opponent kneeling down in front of him. 

Instead of a man, it seemed to be a young woman kneeling before him. Her head was down on the floor, causing her long hair to spill over her shoulders and hide her face. Annoyed at the disturbance, Zuko flicked his fingers, sending sparks into the air. 

“Stop sniveling like a child and get up! This is a duel for honor! You will face your firelord like a true citizen!” 

Zuko’s eyes widened at his sudden outbreak. He never raised his tone like that against anyone, whether they be a beggar or a servant. As his mouth continued to bark orders at the shaking opponent, he began to notice his voice changing. His usual raspy tone had changed into a low, smooth baritone, resembling the voice of his father. 

“Get up, you coward! If you have an ounce of honor, you’ll fight me. Now stand!” 

The woman kneeling in front of him placed her hands on the tile, leaning her weight onto them. She then pushed herself into a sitting position, allowing Zuko to finally see the face of his challenger.

Zuko's breath hitched in his throat when he found her to be none other than his own daughter. The young princess was shaking, her chest heaving up and down as she tried to control her breathing. Her glasses were fogged from her breath and she removed them, wiping over her face once with her sleeve before looking up with pleading eyes. 

“Father, please. I'm sorry. I- I won't speak out again.” Her voice trembled and she held her hand over her mouth in a poor attempt to stop her lip from quivering. She brought her glasses to her face, pushing them up to the bridge of her nose. Getting a clearer image of him, she sat back on her heels in fear and lowered her head. “I won’t disobey you. But please-” She croaked. “I can’t fight you. Please reconsider this, father.”

Zuko's heart shattered when he saw Izumi avert her gaze. He would never hurt his daughter, so why-

“I said stand you damn coward!” He barked. ’No, Izumi, stop. You know I would never speak to you like that.’ Similar to his speech, Zuko was unable to control his movements, and his feet began to carry him to his daughter. As he drew closer, his right hand clenched and unclenched itself, due to the conflicting wills of his body and mind. When he was an arms length away from her, his right palm flung out, acting like it was going to strike her. Her eyes widened and she threw her arms in front of her face for protection, only to realize that no fire had been released from his hand. Instead, his hand latched onto her hair, pulling her up from her sitting position. Izumi let out a cry when she felt her roots being held in such a tight grip. Tilting her head in an attempt to lighten the strain on her scalp, she found her father glaring down at her, his nostrils flaring in anger. Her eyebrows drew in and her mouth dropped, releasing tiny, breathless whimpers.

Her father’s warm amber eyes were burning in a way she’d never seen before, and Zuko felt a rush of adrenaline as a result of her fear. Bearing his teeth, the firelord laughed, throwing his daughter back down to the floor. Her head hit the ground first, causing her glasses to ricochet off into the stands. Zuko towered over her, both palms raised with fire shooting out of them. His kind and loving smile had turned sadistic and torturous, and even though she was unable to see clearly, Izumi started backing up to escape the terrifying figure. 

Zuko tried everything he could to stop himself from talking, but once again, he was overpowered by the thing that seemed to control his body. “How sad.” He sneered. “Scum like you doesn't belong on the palace floors. It doesn't belong in this nation. It deserves to be exiled.” 

The tears that had pooled in Izumi’s eyes began to fall as her father jumped into his stance. Throwing his leg out, an ark of fire trailed right behind it, aimed straight for Izumi’s face. The young princess attempted to counter the assault with her own fire, but reacted too late. Before she could send out a sizeable attack, she already felt the intense heat, and pulled her hand back. The blast was well aimed, striking her directly on her left cheekbone. 

Izumi dropped to her knees, releasing a blood curdling scream as she felt the pain of the burn completely engulf her senses. Her tears were now flowing freely, wetting the freshly charred skin. The crowd in the stands cheered, throwing praises to their Firelord after he had won so effortlessly. Zuko almost threw up, watching the scene before him unfold. His heart dropped to his stomach, and using every bit of strength he had, he released a scream of his own.

“IZUMI!”


End file.
